Parallel Running
by Mr CJ
Summary: If Kyon really *was* a god... how far would the SOS Brigade and its associates have to go to keep this from him? And more importantly... why? First rewrite, WIP
1. 01: Of Cheats And Liars

**Parallel Running**  
_A Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya fanfiction  
MrCJ/Guessmyname_

_Many thanks to Dracobolt, my Beta Reader for the original version of this chapter_

_Please don't sue_

* * *

**Chapter One  
_Of Cheats and Liars_**

* * *

It's Saturday, and, as always, that means another meeting. We do it once a week, as may be obvious, with all of us arriving one hour before the agreed time - which is less obvious, and purposefully so. We meet outside, which makes it harder for our enemies to listen in, and makes us look to the outside world like a bunch of teenagers meeting on a corner - which in a way we are. That might be a problem if it rains, but after several months of this, such an event has yet to occur. Such are the advantages of having a quasi-deity on your side.

Nagato arrived had first, as might be expected, and was standing still and stoic beneath a telephone pole outside Kitaguchi Station as always when I arrived some time later, her glasses shining against the morning sun. She nodded - not at lot, given that we were outside, but enough to show she'd seen me. I took my place by her side and leant again the pole to watch the world walk by around me. It was a beautiful weekend day, so naturally everyone was out in force to enjoy it. It's a small wonder that no-one's noticed these Saturdays all seem to be the same. We may have to do something about that soon too; a new person is joining the meeting from now on, someone very good at noticing such things when we'd really rather he wouldn't...

Despite standing alone with a girl in the middle of a commercial district, I didn't get that much attention. Nagato never looks particularly romantic at... well, ever, and the two of us stood apart rather than together. I imagine we probably looked more like brother and sister. The height differences helped.

Third to arrive was Asahina Mikuru. She smiled and waved to us energetically beneath a blue cardigan and white sundress, getting a pleasant smile from me and another mini-nod from Nagato. Out of all of us, I'd say Mikuru is the most genuine. She really is that cheerful and happy, no lie or acting required. At least until you consider that her mind was deliberately rewired that way by whoever sent her, at which point the earlier definition blurs. I've no idea what the real her is like. Maybe that makes her the best actor out of all of us. Who can say; she certainly can't.

She ran up cheerfully and nipped in between myself and Nagato, smiling heartily to the both of us. _Now_ I got odd looks. Whether this was because I had a girl to die for right next to me and I was just leaning on a telephone post or because we looked like a couple is something you can decide for yourself.

We stood there for a few minutes, which Asahina spent futilely trying to coax a response out of Yuki. Then the last member of our little acting troupe arrived. Haruhi Suzumiya, helpfully pointed out by Nagato the moment she entered the street, looked as she normally did. Long sleeved T-shirt, short hair, yellow ribbons... you know who I'm talking about. She smiled when she saw us, not one of those of 'gonna eat the world now' smiles (as she calls them) that she does on the job or one of those 'facial twitch' style things from Nagato, just an honestly warm smile. One worth getting up early for. We waved, she walked over, and so assembled, the meeting began.

As always, an update from all of us was in order. Mikuru started the ball rolling with her usual perkiness, cheerfully reporting that her group had made no progress whatsoever. Haruhi gave a good account of His mental state; nothing had really changed, but in this case it's to be expected. Changing people is a gradual process after all. She gave us a few ideas to try in the future, and I agreed to pass them on to the Organisation's group of psychologists for evaluation. My turn rolled around, not that I had much to say that they didn't know already, and finally we turned to Nagato.

She pushed her glasses up her nose a bit. Always an important sign.

"The Integrated Sentient Data Entity has decided on a new course of action. To prevent a case of Miss Suzumiya appearing the villain and sole cause of problems, we suggest introducing an opposing element."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "I didn't ask him for these powers you know."

Nagato nodded. "We are aware and mean no disrespect. We are merely considering events from the Subject's perspective. Through his eyes, you are an annoyance. You are responsible for all reality distortions and breaking of normalcy."

The demi-god just groaned and put a hand to her head. "Not my fault..."

Another nod. "We are aware. To eclipse this, we need to present an opposing force whose threat level greatly outclasses that of Miss Suzumiya."

I smiled, catching on to the idea. "You think we need a villain."

Mikuru didn't. "B-But we can't reveal the existence of the Canopy Domain! That would just-"

"We are aware."

Mikuru shut up.

Nagato turned back to me and Haruhi and continued her outline. In situations like these, she's directly linked to the Sentient Data Entity. They are called Interfaces for a reason, after all. At these times, she's more like a living mouthpiece, though Yuki is still present in the conversation and occasionally provides input of her own; it's not possession exactly, just her taking the mental backseat and letting her bosses do the talking. It's like two people speaking through the same mouth, and can take some getting used to. I know Mikuru hasn't.

"To provide a villain, but not reveal the Canopy Domain, we propose introducing a split in our own."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean one of us here?"

Nagato shook her head. "Negative. We refer to ourselves. We will split the Interfaces into factions. These factions will not be united; some may be violent. In doing so, elements of tension will be introduced, causing a more clearer danger to distract from Miss Suzumiya."

Haruhi nodded in understanding. "Any volunteers?"

Nagato shook her head, the gesture identical to the one before. "We have assigned Asakura Ryoko for this mission. As a class member, it will introduce a further element of shock, increasing the distraction and our operation has expanded sufficiently to the point where an on-hand observer is no longer required." She nodded to me in recognition. I presumed she was referring to the Organisation's Overwatch unit and made a note to pass the compliment along. "An assassination attempt will be staged, with myself victor. This will also further the Subject's connection to me, increasing bonds of camaraderie and trust. Futhermore, this will act as a final anchor: after this display, the Subject will have no choice but to believe our cover stories. From his perspective, his life will be at risk."

I nodded. After all, the best way to create a believable lie is to keep it as close to the truth as possible. One thing though:

"And Asakura?" I asked; I wouldn't put it past the Data Entity to simply take Asakura and hit their equivalent of the delete key. Seemed a bit cruel.

"She will be relocated." Nagato assured me calmly.

"To where?"

"Canada."

"_Canada?_"

"Yes. Canada."

"E-Erm..." Added Mikuru, clearly lost, the perpetual sympathy machine firing on all cylinders.

"Asakura Ryoko has already accepted the mission. As long as no actual murder occurs, she has no issue with the operation."

Haruhi and I raised an eyebrows at that one. I didn't know the Interfaces could have 'issues' with direct orders or decline assigned tasks. Haruhi said as such, causing Nagato - actual Nagato, not the ISDE using her as a puppet - to cock her head to one side. "It's... complicated. Direct orders cannot be disobeyed, but conflicting orders are to be avoided. Personality errors due to conflicting moral protocols are a non-desirable outcome."

Then her head snapped back into it's usual emotionless pose like a juttery video recording and the Thought Entity took over again. "The operation will be initiated at the end of the next school day. If there are any complications or issues with the operation, please make us aware of them before this time."

And, like a flickering light, Nagato returned to being Nagato again. She blinked once, looked at me as if to confirm where she was, before nodding and taking a step back, indicating that the Data Entity had said all it wanted to say.

Silence descended over our little huddle, all but one mulling over what had been said, with the one not doing the mulling being simply quiet by design. Haruhi frowned, more a sign that she was deep in thought than actually angry. Nagato was staring straight ahead blandly, whilst I rubbed my chin intellectually. The Organisation didn't really have much of a hand in this, so there was little reason for interference on our end. Mikuru was still lost, but given that she had even less to do with this than I did, we didn't pay her much attention. It's best not to, really.

Haruhi was about to say something when Nagato's bland staring abruptly broke, her head whipping around to focus on something in the distance. "Subject approaching, 12.613 degrees North, 76.921 metres, 0.96 miles per hour (average)."

Haruhi swallowed in irritation and swivelled around on the spot in perfect pirouette while I slipped back into my relaxed smile, with Nagato and Mikuru adjusting themselves accordingly: Nagato went up a level in stoicness, while Mikuru simply tried to calm down. I wonder if they can be called lucky; neither of them really have to put an act like myself, or Suzumiya but then they pay for this advantage in other ways. At least I can be sure I have my own free will and my brain intact.

Haruhi was still frowning.

"Get in role!" I hissed, my eyes still on the crowds and my smile not missing a beat.

"I _am _in role!" Haruhi hissed back.

At that moment, He chose to exit the crowds, brown hair fluttering in the wind slightly and the usual expression of bored scepticism printed on His face seguing into a frown when he saw us standing there, already waiting.

With an animalistic grin, Haruhi adopted the most arrogant-defiant pose she could and raised the pointy finger. "You're late! You've got to be fined!"

Under the Brigade Chief's deathly glare, Subject Kyon panicked.

* * *

It's always interesting to watch Haruhi at work.

Having gleefully shouted at Kyon for being late despite being early, and having dragged him out on a Saturday of all days, she proceeded to follow it up by extorting him out of free drinks for the rest of us before having him wander around looking for things he would never see anyway if the Organisation didn't want him to (we don't). She isn't scripted, you know. It's entirely improvised. After watching over her for 3 years, I've largely gotten used to her more spontaneous side. Of course, it's somewhat cruel to Kyon... but she has her reasons. And it's apparently what he's always wanted, which would be implicative of a lot of things. Ah, who knows. It's a muddle; most things in this world are.

Now we're in a café, drinking the literal tea of the god. Or coffee in Haruhi's case. Just him and us and us and them.

In the interests of clarity, it would probably be a good idea to explain who and what we all are, so that you can see where everything stands. Forgive me for starting with the most familiar; you'll have to excuse me if starting with my own comes across as arrogant.

"Now, let's draw lots!"

Haruhi Suzumiya and myself, Koizumi Itsuki, are both secret agents, of a sort. Predominantly we are ESPers, those with the less-than-ordinary ability to rewrite the fabric of reality to limited extents. Of course, comparing mine and Haruhi's 'ESP' is like comparing a small pebble to a Mount Fuji; she is a literal demigod, whilst I am a low-ranked Organisation agent remarkable only by circumstance relating primarily to my age. Whilst the Organisation will occasionally correspond with her via telegram, as her minder and official emotional crutch, any human-to-human contact is always done through me. I also double as our representative within the SOS Brigade, but watching her is my main job. Watching _him _has it's own special department; we don't much need another.

Nagato Yuki... well, I think you can tell enough about her already. She is an Interface. There are others. As their name implies, they are beings made of sentient data; effectively, the laws of the world made manifest. Well, we think. Maybe. It's somewhat hard to understand the actual nature of the ISDE and its Interfaces. They're very complicated beings.

Lastly, we Mikuru Asahina, who, unlike Nagato, very much isn't. She is the representative of the Time-Travellers - they, like the Organisation, lack a proper name - and, along with her older self, serves as their only presence on this time plane. We're not entirely sure why; the current theory is that the others are hanging back to keep an eye on the timeline and watch out for changes. Who knows. Trying to ask is inevitably futile. Whilst they don't tend to interfere very much, they're as interested in their Target as the ISDE its Subject, and us our Second God.

And who is that, you might ask? The Target, the Subject, the Second God and object of all our attentions? Why, he is the ordinary looking, boring one sitting right before us, holding a little marked stick. And being shouted at.

"Kyon, you listen, this is not a date! Be serious, you understand?"

"OK already!"

Noticing the glare Haruhi was giving Mikuru, I decided to divert the conversation to more practical matters. I'd have to look into that later.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything that looks suspicious. Anything or anyone that looks funny. Also look for portals that can lead to a different dimensions and aliens disguised as humans."

Haruhi winked at me behind her cup. I smiled placatingly, wishing she'd be a little less obvious.

"I see." I replied graciously. "So, all we need to do is to look for aliens, time travelers and espers with super-natural powers, and the traces they left behind on earth. I fully understand."

Given that we spent five hours hammering that out last night, I'd be more worried if I didn't.

Haruhi grinned. "That's right! You really are a bright person, Koizumi-kun! It's just like you said! Kyon, you should learn from him!"

I simply kept my smile and nodded as said schoolboy-come-deity shot me an irritated glare. One of these days, someone is going to make me reign in Haruhi's mean streak, but in the meantime...

For her own sanity, it's probably best to leave her be. Not everyone can be kind and forgiving to the reason you can potentially destroy the universe just by being moody. Were it not for the Sentient Data Entity, there is no way we could have made it this far. Honestly, we owe that being a lot.

On the other hand, it's not like Kyon did it on purpose. But then, he's complicated. It's a muddle.

"Alright! Let's go!"

And so, we did.

* * *

Asahina and her Target had left a while ago, leaving us standing listlessly on the curbside. This was the first time we'd done something like this; no-one was entirely sure what to do when the object of our attentions was no longer around. Ordinarily we'd just meet, give our updates and chat a while, then leave. This was a bit of a derail. Whilst we could have tried planning the entire scenario out from the beginning, given our situation it's best to leave most things down to improvisation. That's why we keep our lies so close to our truths.

"Well..." I asked to no-one in particular, "now what?"

Haruhi shrugged, Nagato did nothing at all. Such enthusiastic comrades...

"Wander?" Haruhi suggested.

"Library." Nagato intoned calmly.

"Well, we should get back here for lunch." I said, checking my watch. Haruhi nodded and Nagato simply blinked. I wondered if she understood the concept of 'lunchtime'.

"Well," said Haruhi, giving the blank Nagato a nervous look. "I'm off. You want to come with me or...?"

I smiled and nodded. "Certainly." I want to ask her about something myself; I'd need to catch up with her anyway.

Haruhi waved. "See you again soon, Yuki!"

The Interface nodded blankly and headed away to a bookstore. Haruhi watched with a wry smile. Nagato's book collection was a thing of wonder.

"What's the betting she just materialises the yen she needs for those out of thin air?"

"So that's why we're recession at the moment."

Haruhi snorted, before heading off in another direction. "Well, you coming?"

I smiled.

* * *

We didn't really have anywhere we needed to go. I don't think Haruhi had anything in mind either; she was just wandering idly for the hell of it. We'd passed at least ten stores already. The Organisation pays most of our bills as far as food, water, and – in my case – clothing, so anything else we buy out of our pocket is superfluous. It's never like we have much time to horse around, whatever appearances Haruhi can foot you.

"Ooh, what about that store? They do a good range of CDs! Kinda pricey though..."

"Mm."

As such, we wandered. The omni-present Saturday sun beat down on me and her both, and while Haruhi seemed to enjoy the sun and the warmth, I was trying to keep the glare out of my eyes. Did I mention I spent five hours last night hammering this whole operation out? Just walking gives me a headache.

"Hey, that top looks pretty cute! What do you think, Itsuki?"

"Mm."

In hindsight, agreeing to accompany Suzumiya on a window shopping expedition was a bad idea.

"Oh, that looks nice!"

"Mm..."

"Oh come on Koizumi, shine a little light in your life for once!"

"Haruhi, if you come back at lunch carrying shopping bags when he thinks we've been hunting seriously for extraplanetary phenomenon, what is he going to think?"

"-Ack! Tch..."

It's not like we get paid much anyway.

"What about that? That would look good on you."

"Forward it to the costume department..."

"Sigh... you're no fun today, Itsuki!"

I shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, but this really wasn't the best time for a shopping trip."

Haruhi shrugged. "Eh. I guess not, huh?" She sighed again and looked around. "Ah! There! Fancy a coffee?"

I chuckled. "Certainly."

Thank you God.

* * *

To be honest, I prefer coffee over tea any day. No offence to Mikuru; it's just a personal thing. I sipped at mine gratefully, savouring the bitter taste. Best thing for keeping you awake if you've spent of all of last night stuck in a damn teleconference.

"So, what was that about in the café earlier?" I asked nonchalantly.

"About what in the café earlier?" Haruhi replied innocently, sipping a cold apple juice.

"You looked quite angry with the sticks." I said with a shrug, taking a sip from my own can.

Haruhi grinned catlike. "Why, jealous?"

"...Huh?"

Haruhi blinked back in return, presumably having not expected that response either. "...What?"

"I was talking about Mikuru."

"..._Haa?"_

The two of us stared at each other over our respective cups in complete confusion.

"Uh..."

"Sorry, do you want to-"

"-no, no, you go first. It's fine."

I sighed and shook my head. "It's just you were giving Mikuru a pretty mean look earlier."

"Does that annoy you?"

"It annoyed _you. _I'm only curious." Given that your annoyance can end the world, it's understandable. The Shinjin Response Unit must be having a field day.

"So... going to explain?" I asked again, full professional mode taking over now that I knew she wouldn't reveal it casually.

She sighed. "Fine, fine. It's just... irritating"

"How so?"

"_'How so?',_ jeez, shouldn't it be obvious?"

I watched her in utter incomprehension. If I'd asked why, didn't that show I didn't know? Once again, Haruhi sighed, this time more irritated that exasperated. "It's just... everything. The entire situation. Those two... worry me."

I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

"It's nothing against Mikuru – really! It's... don't you think he's a bit... _too _interested in her?"

"I wouldn't know." I responded neutrally.

"Take the bunny girl incident. Take the Computer Club incident. He's both protective _and _interested of her!"

"Haruhi, both those incidents where _your _doing."

"I was testing! I had to check my theory! Surely you should know that?"

"I've only know what I've read in the Overwatch reports." And your own, of course.

Haruhi sighed. "Look... ah. No, never mind."

"...Hmm?"

"Forget it, Itsuki. It probably won't matter anyway. It's just a fleeting thing."

...Now what you are talking about Haruhi? If you can confuse even your handler... that's a worrisome thing!

"It. Doesn't. Matter."

I watched her over the brim of my can, still poised just before my mouth. She looked... resigned, perhaps? Certainly determined. I sighed myself, letting it go. "Fine."

Haruhi nodded without checking her watch. "It's nearly lunch. Shall we?"

* * *

I looked up at the giant clock hanging above Kitaguchi Station's timetables and frowned.

"I thought you said it was lunchtime?"

Haruhi flushed nervously by my side. "I – err... did I?"

"Yes. Yes you did."

"Funny, I don't recall..."

"Haruhi..."

"Okay, so I was wrong, happy now?"

"Well, now what? It's only eleven."

Haruhi 'hrrmph'd and crossed her arms, looking away and generally looking petulant. I sighed weakly and looked back to her.

"More coffee?"

"No thanks."

"You can go shopping if you want; I can have Arakawa bring the car."

"I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"..."

"..."

"...Well, if you say so..."

Haruhi didn't say anything, she simply walked away, looking more tired than anything. I'd go and help, but I think she needs some time alone. Organisation paranoia means she doesn't get very much.

On the other hand, moping is hardly productive and we _do _have a timetable to keep with.

"See you in half an hour." I called out. Haruhi waved over her shoulder without looking before turning into the nearest store. I simply shook my head and sighed.

The sounds, sights and colours of a pleasant Saturday afternoon drifted by through the bustling Square. I watched it pass, a quiet little perched off in the shadows and out of the way.

Now what?

* * *

I passed shops, karaoke stalls, all that stuff, stopping off at another café to get a new cup of liquid gold (coffee) to help keep me awake for longer. It was in one of those cheap paper cup things and piping hot; I was testing the temperature when I walked right into someone completely by accident.

Two things tipped me off that this wasn't a normal person. Firstly: I didn't see her. Even if she is a head shorter than I am, I'm a trained observer: I don't walk into people, period. Secondly: I just tipped boiling hot coffee all over her head and she doesn't seem to have noticed.

Kuyoh Suou looked up at me with glass-like eyes.

"Shit!"

I jumped back, coffee cup falling to the floor with an ignored splash. Suou simply observed, boiling steam rising out of her mass of hair with an ignored hiss, scalding drops of black liquid draining off strands of black hair and dribbling down her white skin like fake tears.

"______" said Kuyoh.

I don't go out armed. Sure, I know how to use a firearm, but I don't carry one except on the odd mission, never on my own time or around Kyon. It probably wouldn't have done anything against Suou anyway. Just as the Integrated Data Entity has its Interfaces, the Sky Canopy Domain has its own. I've only seen one before, namely the one standing before me now, but I've heard of others. They all look alike, down to the individual hairs on their heads. For all it's lack of understanding of human culture, the Canopy seems to have understood the teachings of one Henry Ford just fine.

They're also _impossibly _dangerous. Not on the level of Nagato and the rest of the ISDE Interfaces, but that's still more than the combined force of a JSDF regiment. Probably. Does anyone really want to find out?

"please..." Kuyoh began, her lips not quite in synch with her voice. "do not___ undertake______ outside__ contact."

The people around me began to fizzle out like dying candles as the colour of the world around me faded away to a mishmash of monotone and greys. The brown-black coffee at my feet turned a dull grey right before my eyes. The ambient sounds of world muffled and died as though someone had abruptly dropped a thick carpet on them and smothered them out.

"___lockdown initiated________ this space is Closed."

I backed up. Kuyoh followed.

"please..." she repeated, like a voice synthesiser with only one intonation. "listen."

"L-Listen?!"

"yes. listen."

Kuyoh took another step forward. I tried to step back but found myself blocked by a brick wall that hadn't been there before.

"i bring__________________ news." Kuyoh said tonelessly.

Before I'd even noticed, brick walls had appeared around us, blocking us in entirely. I hadn't any space to move to either side or back: they were behind me and brushing up against my shoulders. I couldn't feel a thing: no rough feeling of cold mortar or stone beneath my hands, just a flat, texture-less plane. The only reason I could tell they were there was because I couldn't move past them. The corridor ended with me and extended past Kuyoh into infinity. The sky had a turned a flat grey; just pure monochrome with neither light nor dark, and even the floor had the same non-existent quality underfoot.

"we need________ download?"

I was trapped in this endless corridor that ended with me. The only conceivable way out was past Kuyoh. Like hell that would work.

"no... we need______ "

The ghostly doll took another step forward. I couldn't exactly stop her. I couldn't even speak; my vocal chords had shut down. The very air was frozen in place as though it didn't even exist.

"____________information."

Kuyoh didn't even raise a hand to my head. She didn't seem to do anything at all, but even so, the world dissolved into black anyway.

* * *

I woke up because Haruhi was nudging me with her foot.

"Koizumi! What's wrong with you? It's noon already!"

"Mmm?"

My head didn't hurt. I just felt a bit... cold?

"Of course you're cold, you're sleeping on a bench!"

Huh?

I lifted myself up into a sitting position. The wooden bench felt rough and hard beneath my hands. Haruhi was watching me irritably, her golden yellow ribbons dangling loosely in front of her face. A truck chose that moment to rumble past, rumbling loudly.

Funny, I don't feel tired...

"Come on!" Haruhi said, grabbing my arm and hauling me off the bench despite my protests. "It's noon already! Nagato's waiting for us!"

When did I fall asleep? I have no memory of this...

"Come on! Koziumi! This isn't like you at all!"

I let Haruhi drag me off to the station, feeling strangely empty for some reason.

Did I miss something?

* * *

_A/N: Welcome back, to the edited V2 of Parallel Running! Readers of the first version will probably recognise most of the scenes, but there are a few new ones chucked in too. I'm trying to cut down individual chapter length – not by cutting out content, just splitting it up more – to help reading and hopefully up chapter-posting time. Most of the major changes and stuff that needs fixing from V1 come in later chapters._

_See you soon! And I'm ~50% done on the next chapter of Flipswitch!_

_-MrCJ_

_In other news, watch Ga-Rei -Zero-. It's freakin' awesome. And Carameldansen is VERY addictive. Musical crack, I tell thee._


	2. 02: Crisis Aversion Syndrome

**Parallel Running**  
_A Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya fanfiction  
MrCJ/Guessmyname_

_Many thanks to Dracobolt, my Beta Reader for the original version of this chapter_

_Please don't sue_

* * *

**Chapter Two  
Crisis Aversion Syndrome**

* * *

"What about you, Kyon-kun?"

"Sadly, mine is marked."

A frown of undue fury at an innocent toothpick.

"We'll meet in front of the station by four. Be sure to find something by then!"

* * *

"Urgh..."

"You okay? Need to rest a while?"

"No, I'm good... gonna need a loo soon though."

I helped Suzumiya stay upright, keeping her arm over my shoulder before she could double over on her knees and vomit in the middle of the street.

"Do I really have to keep up this whole 'genki' thing?" she pleaded, gripping her stomach in obvious pain. "Urp!"

"Careful! And yes, I'm afraid you do." I replied as gently as I could whilst rubbing her back. She swallowed again, taking deep, panting breaths before trying to wave me off again.

"...I'm okay, I'm okay. Ergh, drinking an entire pop cup was a bad idea..."

"You held your character, you did well!"

"Tell that to my bladder..."

"A-ano..." Mikuru hovered behind us, useless as ever. I decided to reverse this for once and waved her over.

"Here!" I said, hoisting the limp Haruhi over to her. Asahina rushed forwards instantly, catching the ill girl as though I was going to let her fall. "Get her to a bathroom, clean her up."

The time-traveller nodded and supported Haruhi's limp to freedom, a walking testament to the dangers of taking fast food too fast. I simply shook my head. This jobs asks of you a lot, doesn't it? I don't suppose I can doubt her dedication now.

With Nagato off escorting Kyon and Mikuru hauling Haruhi off to pay her respects to the porcelain god, I didn't have much to do besides lean back against the wall in the quiet shade and wait. I knew they wouldn't be gone long. Having been dragged around for a half-hour in the growing noon heat, I was back to being bone tired again, earlier caffeine notwithstanding. I rested my head against the cool brick and closed my eyes, letting my mind retire for a while...

..."Koizumi-kun?"

I awoke with a jerk.

"Kimidori-san?" I replied, blinking a few times at the green-haired girl to clear my eyes and running a quick hand through my hair to try and smooth it out a bit. I have appearances and standards to keep up to after all.

Emiri smiled politely with calm eyes, holding a plain white shopping bag with both hands and giving me a slight bow. "Pleased to meet you again."

I nodded, returning the bow. "Likewise."

"Yuki-san reports the Subject is asleep in the Seaside Library. Suzumiya-san and Miss Asahina are currently in a Pharmaceuticals store purchasing stomach medicine. They shall return shortly."

"I, er... Thank you!"

Kimidori just smiled again and gave another polite bow before continuing on her way and disappearing around a corner. I blinked again, scratching the back of my head to try and wake up a bit more and looking around. It was a good thing Kyon wasn't here. The street was just as busy as before, I don't think I was out that long. Soon enough, I spotted Haruhi and Mikuru walking side by side in my general direction. Mikuru waved happily as usual whilst Haruhi looked vaguely stiff. I pushed off the wall and walked over.

"Hi!" Mikuru announced with a joyful smile. I smiled back politely.

"Was that Kimidori-san just now?" Haruhi asked, looking deflated and tired.

I nodded. "He's in the Seaside Library with Nagato. They'll be there a while."

"Oh good." Haruhi said weakly with a tired smile. "Time for me to rest then."

* * *

We let Haruhi sleep soundly on a bench, with Asahina sitting at one end and using her own lap as a cushion. As this took up the entire bench, I had to adopt my usual pose with a lamp post. My legs are getting tired from all this standing around...

"How is she?" I asked, looking down at the bench-bound couple.

"She should be fine." Asahina replied, stroking the ill girl's hair and beaming. "The pills have a slight sedative effect, that's why she's so sleepy."

She stroked a lock of hair away from Haruhi's eyes with a loving gesture. "She's so brave, doing all of this for us."

I grimaced. It was a good thing our Organisation had contacted her as soon as we'd figured out what had happened. The tantrums stopped after a while, and with a good three years training we'd created the person you see now, temporarily unconscious from the wonders of modern medicine. Miss Asahina seemed to be treating her like a natural saint. I wondered how the real Mikuru would respond.

She looked up when I stifled a yawn. "Tired?"

I nodded. "Just a little." It builds up.

Asahina pouted in sympathy, before shuffling up on the bench, Haruhi retracting into a foetal position with a slight groan. She patted the now free space by her side motherly.

"Here, rest. I'll keep an eye out."

"You're sure?"

She nodded, beaming away cutely again. "Yes!"

I smiled gratefully, being careful to lean away from the girls before succumbing to blissful sleep myself. I felt Mikuru pat my head affectionately as I went out.

* * *

I'll go on record here and state that almost all dreams are nonsense.

Mine was no exception.

* * *

"Koizumi-kun?"

I jerked awake and nearly sent the sleeping Mikuru on my shoulder slumping off the bench.

I blinked a few times to clear my eyes.

"Kimidori-san...?"

"It is half past four. Yuki-san is requesting an update. The Subject is not awake."

I jerked into action all over again, pulling my hand out of my pocket to reveal my watch. Just as Emiri said, it was 4:30. Half an hour after we said to meet. "He's still asleep?" I asked.

Kimidori nodded patiently. I sighed wearily, thanking the heavens for that piece of fortune. Perhaps in response, Asahina chose this moment to wake up with a start.

"Eeh?"

Emiri's pleasant smile switched targets and doubled in intensity.

"Eeeeh?"

"Greetings, Miss Asahina."

"E-Emiri-san..."

Kimidori turned back to me, bowed, "May we meet again soon." and disappeared again. Mikuru fidgeted in confusion. Then she noticed who she was leaning on.

"EEEEEEEEH?"

"Mrrh? Whazzgoinon..."

With a groan to wake the dead, Haruhi rose to a sitting position like a mummy rising from a crypt.

"Urgh... ow, my head..."

I got up and rounded the bench as she raised a tender arm to her even more tender forehead. I crouched down to meet her eye level and gave a pleasant smile. Everyone should have a pleasant smile when they wake up with a hangover in the middle of the street.

"What happened, I get a head injury or something?" She asked, trying to focus on me blearily as I rummaged a hand through her bag.

I smiled back pleasantly. "No, just some medication that knocked you out for a while."

Haruhi grunted and went back to rubbing her forehead, eyes closed against the evils of bright afternoon sunlight.

"Haruhi."

An eye creaked open. "What?"

I produced her cellphone, holding it out like a mother offering candy to a child. She produced another groan.

"It's 4:30. We need you to contact him."

Suzumiya snapped awake to full alert status with an icy glare and snatched the phone out of my hand. A flick of a wrist flipped it open, ringing twice before being picked up.

"You idiot!" She shouted down the line, without so much as breaking eye contact with me. I winced in response. "What have you been doing!? What time do you think it is now? ...What!? You dumbass! Get your asses over here at once! I give you thirty seconds!"

My my, she doesn't even have to feign her irritation. How lucky.

She set the phone to automatically redial him every few seconds (yes, it can do that) and handed it back, where it returned to the dark depths of Haruhi's handbag.

"That should bring him running..." she stifled a yawn and dragged herself up to her feet. "Right, we need to get back to the station... Come on Mikuru!"

We walked back to station as fast as we could, with me taking a position just behind Haruhi in case she lost her balance again. Mikuru, still a bit befuddled as normal, walked alongside us pleasantly. The station wasn't that far away from the burger shop, and we made it in good time. Haruhi leaned against the wall and slipped a caffeine pill, Mikuru sort of just stood there (cheerfully), whilst I kept a lookout for our wayward charges.

They arrived shortly, her deftly weaving through the press of people like a skier slaloming through trees while he did his best to follow in her silent wake. Haruhi straightened up a bit upon seeing their approach, whilst Asahnia gave an exhausted but oddly relieved smile. "You're late; pay the fine!"

* * *

"That was fun today! How should I say this? Suzumiya-san really is an interesting person. It's a pity I couldn't be with you today, perhaps next time."

I patted him on the shoulder and walked away, losing them in the crowd. I wandered the town for a while, simply walking and drinking in the sights, taking the change to relax without having to sleep. Watched all the ordinary people meander through ordinary lives, wondering whether I felt superiority or envy. Asahina had disappeared off somewhere, but Nagato was apparently waiting in front of the Seaside Library, looking up at the sign as if in trance.

"If I didn't know you better, I would say that look was wistfulness." I called out, smiling platonically. Nagato rolled her head around to face me, the light of the falling sun glinting orange on her glasses.

"We are aware." She replied. I frowned.

"Something wrong?" The Integrated Sentient Data Entity only takes control it when it has something important to say – usually, Nagato is just left to be Nagato.

A shake of a head. "Not in the scheme of things. Merely a distraction. The operation timetable has been expanded. Negotiations with Miss Mori and Miss Asahina are already underway. The operation will be rescheduled to a later date."

"You mean-?"

"Miss Suzumiya has made us aware of a complication. The Subject's mental state is merely conditional at current, with signs of potential decline in this future. We are expanding the mission to prevent this being an issue."

Haruhi had been talking to Nagato? Interesting. More important things to worry about right now though. I raised an eyebrow. "You think we must prove we are who we say we are?"

"Yes. To prevent further complications, the Subject must be made aware of the gravity of this scenario. There is too much reasonable doubt. Initialising the operation with Asakura Ryoko before he understands the full picture will lead to confusion and a possible desire to investigate."

I frowned; that _would _be bad. "You know a demonstration on behalf of the Organisation is subject to random chance?"

"We are aware. If trouble arises, Miss Suzumiya can always be provoked into producing a suitable example."

Provoke Haruhi into materialising Closed Space? My gaze narrowed. "That's _not_ advisable."

"You find such an act distasteful?"

"You don't?" That and it's too hard to control. She can't do it at will, she has to be genuinely annoyed or frustrated. I'd rather not have a demi-god mad at me, thanks.

Nagato pondered. Or looked like she was pondering. Whether this was her or the Data Entity was, as always, impossible to tell. "Personality errors due to conflicting moral protocols are a non-desirable outcome. We will leave your operations to you."

"Thank you." I replied, unsure if I should be. If I understood the technobabble properly, it sounded like the Data Entity didn't want an angry demi-god either. None of us are immortal.

I wonder what would happen if the Data Entity and their precious 'Subject' ever went to war...

"What about Miss Asahina? Can her group organise their own reveal?" Revealing time travel without actually performing it struck me as somewhat hard.

"A non-issue." Nagato replied, looking back to me. "They have already begun."

Is it appropriate to use such terminology with time-travellers? I nodded anyway. "Good."

Silence descended between us, and Nagato turned her attentions back to the sign. I wondered why the Data Entity found it so interesting. A logo of a wave delivering a large book to a beach, done in blues, browns and gold with "Seaside Library" slotted around it. Aiming for modern and falling short at ordinary.

"And the Canopy Domain?" I asked at length.

"Neutralised for now. There should be no interferences for a consequential period."

"Well that's good news." I replied, now honestly thankful.

Nagato nodded with a chilling smile. "We are aware."

A buzz of static, a flicker of visual distortion and Nagato was Nagato again, the Data Entity withdrawing away to do whatever dirty work it needed to do for this farcical scenario of its. "We will meet again in 33 hours." She stated simply, turning to leave.

* * *

Sunday was dull, passing by in a flutter of paperwork, housework, homework and snoring on the couch. The higher-ups were resolving things at their end without me, and I was glad for the chance to catch up on such merciful things as sleep and schoolwork. Staying in the upper grade boundaries takes effort and time, and most of mine is spent on my job.

Sonou Mori dropped by in passing, to let me know about our involvement in the ISDE's operation. She'd been on her way to talk with the Overwatch unit, but dropped in to say hi.

The commander of our local Organisation unit sighed and cradled her mug full of apple juice. I didn't have much else to hand and I'm terrible at brewing tea, as Haruhi frequently likes to complain. Figured she'd appreciate not being poisoned this early in the morning.

"So we're providing sentries for the operation then?" I asked her from the kitchen as I filled myself a glass of water, the business-suited woman still visible through the doorway sitting calmly in a spare chair, ignoring my mess of an apartment with extreme dedication and skill. My cleaning abilities aren't exactly stellar either, especially when you have next to no time to dedicate to it.

"Yes, we are. The Tamarus should be there, and Arakawa will be on standby in case we have to bug out for whatever reason; he'll be bringing the supply truck this time." She paused to sip her drink, and continued with perfect, business-like nonchalance, "Kimidori-san will be monitoring the op for us, want to watch?"

I looked up from the sink, turning to watch her with complete seriousness. "Is that an order, a request or a suggestion?"

"A request." Mori replied simply. "We need someone monitoring the Second to see if he takes the bait – the ISDE's requested this as well, as it knows it won't be able to gauge it very well. Do you mind?"

I smiled back. "Not at all."

Mori waved a downplaying hand. "It's just that you and Miss Suzumiya spend the most time around him, and the Overwatch will be busy with guarding the perimeter... it's not absolutely critical; we can always set up a video link to the psychologists. I'd just rather we had someone on the ground at go-time."

The water level reached the top and I turned the handle to cut the flow. "It's not a problem, really. Where?"

"The roof. Kimidori-san should show you."

I nodded. "I'll tell Haruhi."

Mori smiled. "Thanks."

She didn't stay long – just enough to finish her drink – and chatted a while about the minutiae of running a top secret organisation and keeping everything in check before going on her way again. I simply sipped away at mine and nodded at points. I'm not that much of an expert when it comes to organisation; it's not part of my job.

As she left out the front door, Mori said one more thing:

"By the way; now that the other two have revealed their cover stories, you might want to do the same."

I stood in the hallway, swirling my half-empty glass. I could tell what _that_ statement was. "You think I should track him down and tell him?"

"Maybe. I'd expect he'll come to you through."

I nodded. "I'll be ready."

"Good. Keep up the good work, Koizumi-kun."

"And you, Mori-san."

The commander nodded. "Thanks for the drink."

The door shut with a soft click.

* * *

Monday started off warm, and Haruhi was already looking a little down as we walked to the school that morning.

"You okay?" I asked, glancing over to her as we trudged up the hill.

Haruhi's initial response was cut off by a yawn. "...Yeah. Fine."

I frowned slightly. She didn't look that fine; there were slight bags under her eyes and she seemed to be slouching slightly, as though she couldn't summon the will to stay upright properly.

"You're sure?"

"Dandy."

She didn't look it. When I said as much, she simply growled and rubbed her forehead.

"Look, I'm just kinda tired, okay? It _happens._"

She took one look at my expression (worried) and sighed, cricking her neck. "Don't worry. I'm not going to go berserk and generate any more Closed Space or anything."

I twitched. "That's not what I-"

"I know, I know. Just... don't worry." Another crick, another yawn. "...I've not broken on you yet." Another sigh.

"...Right."

We reached the point where our routes diverged (for the sake of security and the masquerade, we arrive at school via different routes at different times, even if we live quite close) and said our goodbyes. We'd see each other again later. I hoped she'd be doing better by then. Like I said, sometimes, you just need a little space. She'll survive. She always does.

Hmm. Does that mean I trust her in that regard? Do I need to?

I shrugged to myself and walked on towards the gates.

* * *

What had started off as hot finally swerved around to stiflingly hot by the time I sauntered off down to the clubroom. Nagato was there, as always, but asides from that...

"Nagato? Where is everyone?"

"..."

I slid my bag off onto the table and pulled out a seat, looking back up at the bespectacled Interface's lack of response. "Nagato?"

"..." She didn't even look up. Was she on a standby mode or something?

As if to disprove this, she flicked a page in the book she was reading. I frowned slightly. Okaaay_..._

I'd just sat down in my chair when Kyon entered and nearly scared the life out of me.

If he noticed, he didn't show it. Just looked like he always did; ordinary high school student, slightly irritated. He looked at Nagato, dropped his bag on the table near mine and looked at me, that fed-up frown still on his face. Guess the heat got to him, too. Being onmipresent must suck. I'd hate to exist in a sun.

"Don't tell me you too have something to say to me about Suzumiya?"

I smiled back politely, inwardly cringing, suddenly realising where this was going. "Ah, judging by your reaction, I guess the other two girls have approached you already."

I stifled a wince, letting my face fall into that usual, lax smile. My original plan actually involved checking up on Haruhi - whilst I trusted her to get over it, that didn't mean I wanted her to suffer. Whilst tipping off Kyon about the Organisation today was indeed _in _said plan (thank you, Mori), I had been intended to tell him _after _the club was done for the day. I, don't know, could have simply visited his house or something. It'd be interesting to meet his parents.

One look at Kyon's irritated face ended that thought. He wanted answers; it was best to give him them as soon as possible. At all costs, we could _not _have him go looking...

I suppressed a sigh and glanced at Nagato. I suppose I should have seen this coming. The Interface noticed and tapped a finger lightly on the side of her book, just out of Kyon's line-of-sight (probably calculated to be _just-so_), in acknowledgement. Nagato will have to deal with Haruhi, not me; she's done it before. At least she's better at it than Asahina. _She _just gets flustered, confused, mumbles something about Classified information and goes to make tea.

Hope tells me this is her wanting to tell us that the future will be alright and everything will get better; she just can't tell us this. Professional scepticism says otherwise.

Already made, I simply kept my smile, hoping Nagato would understand the message (the ISDE, being an incorporeal being of data, mathematics and logic, has some difficultly interpreting facial expressions and body language), before returning my attention to the matter at hand. An ordinary schoolboy with a considerably less than ordinary future.

Kyon looked as though he was wishing I'd get on with it. I obeyed.

"Let's find another place to talk. It would be troublesome if Suzumiya-san hears us." I lied smoothly, gesturing him out the door.

* * *

I chose the cafeteria for the coffee. That's about it.

"How much do you know?"

As he slid into his chair, still watching me carefully like a farmer to a viper, I wheeled around to mine. The grin was in place, as normal.

"That Suzumiya isn't an ordinary person, I guess." He replied casually, but also carefully. He was trying to be nonchalant, but he himself wasn't really sure...

Useful.

"That makes things easy for me. You are correct."

His eye twitched. I carefully kept the smile in check.

I... don't really like talking to Kyon. I'll be honest. It's... tricky. Hard. You have to watch what you say, what you do, what you think. It's like a charge. Not electrical, but emotional.

Think about it. Before me, drinking coffee at my leisure, is the source of the world.

Maybe he wasn't before. Certainly he didn't exist past 16 years ago, and probably he hasn't actually held his position for anything more than 3-4 years, but the point still holds.

Before us, stands everything.

It's... tricky.

"First, tell me who you really are." A frown. "You're not gonna tell me that you're an ESPer, are you?"

I felt it safe to let a smirk show. "Now, there's no need to assume!"

Did he know that because his subconscious knows he made me that way? Or it is just common deduction? No-one would know, not even him.

I smiled, then remembered I already was and simply swirled my coffee instead. "While not exactly accurate, you're more or less correct - I am what you call an ESPer. That's right, I possess paranormal powers."

Kyon sipped at his coffee. He looked a bit bitter; I wondered if I should have added more sugar. Either way, he'd seemed to sense I'd lapsed into 'talk-a-lot' time, and sat back to absorb the incoming lecture.

Cover-story time.

"I'd have preferred not to transfer to this school so suddenly, but there has been a change in circumstances. I never thought those two girls would have approached Suzumiya Haruhi so quickly already. Before that, they had always been silently observing her."

Lies. Mostly. She'd met _Nagato_ long before; Mikuru is... well, it depends which one you're referring to. Mikuru (Small) is new.

Kyon was frowning. I prayed it wasn't because he'd noticed.

"Now calm down. We're trying our best as well! We have no intentions of harming Suzumiya-san, rather, we want to _protect_ her from danger."

True. Very true.

"You said we? That means there are other espers like you?"

I almost sighed. He hadn't caught it. Guess I'm not _too_ bad at hiding myself.

"Well, there aren't quite as many as you think. Since I am among the lowest-ranked, I don't really know much. All are under the supervision of the 'Organisation'".

Kyon looked over the moon. I decided to head him off before he could ask anything too specific.

"I do not know what the 'Organisation' consists of, or how many members there are. Everything seems to be run by the bigwigs higher up."

...Actually, that's not far off... I know more than I'm letting on, though. More a case of 'I have enough to do and they let me do it' rather than 'they don't tell me anything'. If there's something I need to know, I'll know it. Certainly, knowing _too_ much could be an equal problem.

"...So, this secret group, this 'Organisation', what does it do anyway?"

Ah, one of the few questions I'd been able to anticipate coming. I sipped dramatically whilst pulling the pre-prepared bit of speech out of my head.

"Just as you have guessed, the 'Organisation' was founded three years ago, and their priority is to observe Suzumiya Haruhi. To put it bluntly, they exist solely to observe Suzumiya Haruhi. I'm sure you understand by now, right? I'm not the only 'Organisation' member here in this school. There have already been a number who have infiltrated here before me; I've just been temporarily transferred here to assist them."

This is true, if you replace one of the names for that of someone else. Who, which and where, I presume I can leave to you.

...Though... they do keep Haruhi at arms' length. She is a danger to us and she is to herself, and everything else. One god is enough to base things on. Another is a spanner in the works. God knows, the SRUs have enough trouble with her at the best of times. If I've forgotten to mention who they are yet, let me remind you. They deal with the Shinjin. They're our ESPer response unit. Spotted the problem yet?

...All in all, I guess I can't guarantee they're _all_ on Haruhi's side.

"Why does everyone like Haruhi? She's just an eccentric, crazy girl that creates trouble for others, not to mention, she's extremely self-centered. Is she really worth having an 'Organisation' using all its resources to protect?"

I nearly choked on my coffee. I admit. I hadn't intended to say that last part out loud. Kyon's response caught me off guard. Quickly, I tried to head him off.

"I don't know what really happened three years ago. All I do know is, I suddenly realized I possessed paranormal powers one day three years ago. I was really scared; I didn't know what to do. Luckily for me, it wasn't long before the 'Organisation' took me in, or I would've killed myself thinking something was wrong with my brain."

"I had already been thinking something must be wrong with your brain ever since I met you."

Gee, thanks a bundle wonder-child.

"Well, that's not impossible. Though we're more afraid of the terrible unforeseeable possibilities that exist."

I flashed a smile and sipped to try and steady my nerves.

"When do you think this world began its existence?"

"Didn't it begin at the Big Bang?"

"Right now that's what's being said. However, for us there is another possibility - this world came into being three years ago."

Or possibly four. Certainly, it wasn't the moment and absolute instant he was born.

"That's impossible! I can still clearly remember what happened three years ago. Besides, my parents are still alive. I still have the three stitches I got from falling into a drain when I was young. And how do you explain all the stuff that I've been memorizing like hell from the history textbooks?"

I smiled, and shrugged. I admit, I tend to collect the theories. Call it an attempt at staying rational. There has to be a 'why', right?

"OK, then how can you be sure that all humans, including you, are not created with their earlier memories? If that's the case, then there's no need to dwell on three years ago. There is no evidence in this world to disprove that the world didn't begin five minutes ago, and that all life began there."

Kyon simply waited. I simply continued.

"For example, try to imagine a virtual reality. Your brain has been plugged by electric wires, everything that you see, smell and even touch are actually all transmitted by the electric signals from the wires to your brain, yet you yourself believe that what you're experiencing is real. This so called 'real world' is actually surprisingly fragile."

"...Let's say I agree with what you said. It doesn't matter whether the Earth was formed three years ago or five minutes ago. The thing is, what does your 'Organisation's' existence have to do with Haruhi?"

Everything and nothing.

"The leader of the 'Organisation' believes that this world is really someone's dream. We, no, it should be the whole world itself is all but a dream. Because it's just a dream, for that person, to create and alter this reality we're in is as simple as clockwork. And we all know who this person is."

You.

"Humans have called those who can create and destroy the world at will as God."

I gave a slight pause to let that sink in. I have to be _very_ careful here.

"That's why the 'Organisation' has always been very careful. If God becomes displeased with this world, she could just completely destroy the old world and replace it with a new one. Just like a kid who doesn't like his sandcastle and decides to demolish it and build a new one. Even though I feel there are numerous unresolved conflicts in this world, there's still some good in this world that makes it worth living in. This is why I've assisted the 'Organisation' in protecting this world."

Actually, we've slightly more worries than that. The Canopy Domain is... less than benign. And because we have to hide the damn thing out from Kyon's sight, we can hardly hope his subconscious would change it. Seriously, the 'new worlds' problem is more a Haruhi issue than Kyon. He doesn't question the world.

"Why don't you just go and directly ask Haruhi? Tell her to stop destroying this world, she might even listen."

We did. It would probably have been better had we not. "Of course, Suzumiya-san doesn't know that; she's not aware of her own powers. Our job is to make sure she never does, and lives her life peacefully."

Who am I referring to now?

"As of right now, she's still an incomplete god, unable to completely control the world at will. Even though she hasn't completely evolved, we've already seen some signs of it."

...Both, I suppose.

He watched me carefully. "How do you know?"

"Think about it. Why would ESPers like me, as well as people like Asahina Mikuru and Nagato Yuki exist? It is because Suzumiya-san wishes for it."

"Since she hasn't discovered them yet, she is unable to completely utilize her powers, she could only subconsciously release them randomly. Yet for the past few months, Suzumiya-san has continuously released powers far beyond what humans can comprehend. As you well know, this resulted in Suzumiya-san having Asahina Mikuru, Nagato Yuki and even me joining her club."

"Does that make me the sole outsider?"

"Not quite. For us, you're a mysterious presence. I've done quite a lot of background checks on you; I hope you don't mind. And I can assure you, you are just a normal human being without any special powers."

Blatant, blatant lies...

Our cover story... really, you do have to hand it Asahina and Mori. Swap one name for another and the pieces mostly fit, the remaining holes easy to hide.

Kyon looked like he wanted to sigh. "Should I take that as a compliment or should I be disappointed?"

"I don't know either, but the fate of the world could very well rest on your shoulders. Therefore, you need to be careful not to let Suzumiya-san feel any despair for this world."

How very true...

"Since you think Haruhi is God," he suggested, "why don't you just abduct her, perform an autopsy on her and see what her brain's made of? You might even learn the secrets of the universe!"

I nodded. "There do exist some extremists within the 'Organisation' who believe the same way as you do. Yet the majority still think it best to leave her alone. After all, if God becomes unhappy because of this, a catastrophe would most likely occur. We hope for the world to remain as it is, so naturally we hope that Suzumiya-san can live peacefully. We have nothing to gain if disaster does strike..."

Should be a good think that the god of this world would think that way? Or is it because of the way we're framing the question? Or is it simply his rationality? Perhaps this world would be kinder if he stopped trying to impose 'reality' on it.

"...Then what should we do?"

"That, I do not know."

He seemed to accept that. I was grateful.

"Oh yeah, what would happen to the world if Haruhi suddenly dies?"

"Would the world be destroyed alongside her death? Or would God simply cease to exist? Or would a new one would simply come to replace her? Before that happens, no one really knows."

Really, we don't. Either him, or her. We know the world existed before their time, but will it continue to exist after? What if they die of old age, will things matter then?

Suddenly, he pushed his coffee aside.

"You said you possess paranormal powers?"

I nodded, eyeing the cup and feeling a test of some sort coming on. "Well, that's not quite precise, but more or less correct."

"Then show me some of your powers, then I'll believe you. Let's say, make this coffee warm again."

I smiled, amused. Mine's barely had time to cool; his can hardly be cold.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that. My powers aren't that easily comprehensible. Under normal conditions, I don't have any particular powers. I have to satisfy a certain number of conditions before I can use them, but I believe you'll get the chance to see them one day. Sorry I've taken your time, I guess I'll go home now."

I smiled and walked away. Demonstrate my power? Why don't you look and see if you demonstrated yours.

* * *

End of Chapter Two.

* * *

Okay, so the slight delay here is entirely my fault. Artist's block is a git. And also quite solid, being a block and everything.

Wordplay is fun. Thanks to baka-tsuki for their translation (which I'm still merrily snagging the spoken lines from in the Kyon scenes). Trying to graft a second train of thought and plot to an existing scene is tricky. I'll probably be back again to fiddle it somewhat. As best I can with descriptions and Koizumi's own commentary, anyway.

Also, this is somehow longer than Chapter 1. I'm not sure how; I honestly thought it was shorter until I did a wordcount. Whoopsie!

Before, I was trying to use the old V1 content to use as a base, but that actually makes things harder, as you go through it wondering what to change, where to modify and graft when you already have _another_ text to stay true to. It's easier and more refreshing to simply write anew directly.

V1 readers might notice a few slight plot changes. The plot was the main issue with V1, anyway. I'm hoping to correct that.

Hopefully I've managed to involve Kyon some more!

Comments, Crits and Suggestions all welcome.

-MrCJ


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